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​2013 Land for Life Award Launched

14/11/12 - The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is calling for nominations for the 2013 Land for Life Award, which will recognize innovation and excellence in sustainable land management. Three winners will be selected by an expert jury which will grant awards from a total prize fund of up to USD 100,000.

Nominations of inspiring projects that deal with restoring the soils’ natural health and improve the livelihoods of people in the drylands are encouraged. The award targets outstanding initiatives of various kinds, such as land management, political leadership, policy, business practices, advocacy campaigns or scientific findings.

The deadline for submitting nominations is 15 March 2013 at 23:59 GMT. Completed applications and inquiries can be sent to L4L@unccd.int. The application form and background information is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The Land for Life Award prize is open to any actor, including individuals, communities, businesses, research and academic institutions, local governments, journalists and civil society organizations. The winners will be announced during the observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification on 17 June 2013.

Last year’s winner was Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) from Haiti. The runner up was a tie between Conservation Efforts for Community Development (CECOD) from Uganda and Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA), Turkey.

“We are very proud to showcase their success. They have taken charge of their own destiny. Instead of waiting for others to initiate change, they are taking action themselves and are making a major difference to their environment and their communities, often with very meagre financial resources,” says Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD about last year’s winners.

“Each action is different, but they are all about breaking the vicious cycle of land degradation and poverty and shifting the paradigm towards a virtuous cycle of healthy soils and better conditions of life,” he adds.

Representatives of SOIL, CECOD and TEMA have been invited to the Land for Life Recognition Gala to be held on 3 December 2013 in Doha, Qatar, where they will receive a medal and the award.

Detailed information and the nomination forms for the 2013 award are available from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification website at: http://www.unccd.int/land4life/menu.php. For information on the award that is not available online, contact: L4L@unccd.int.